by Sarah Morgan
‘But I’m not sorry.’ He glared at her mutinously, his scarlet cheeks clashing with his vivid hair. ‘He called me a carrot-head, Miss Jenkins.’
Finding it almost impossible to focus, Kelly took a deep breath. ‘That wasn’t nice, and he’s going to apologise too. But that doesn’t change the fact you punched him. You should never punch anyone.’
Not even arrogant Greek men who left you on your wedding day.
‘S’not my fault I’ve got a temper. It’s cos of my red hair.’
‘It’s not your hair that punched Harry.’ How had she been supposed to know he was the one who had bought the ring?
A child behind her piped up. ‘My dad says if someone is mean to you, you should just thump them and then they’ll never been mean to you again.’
Kelly sighed. ‘Alternatively we could all just try and think more about each other’s feelings.’ Raising her voice slightly, she addressed the whole class. ‘We need to understand that not everyone is the same. We need to show tolerance: that’s going to be our word for the day.’ She stood and walked to the front of the class, feeling twenty-six pairs of eyes boring into her back. ‘T-o-l-e-r-a-n-c-e. Who can tell me what it means?’
Twenty-six hands shot up.
‘Miss, miss, I know—pick me, pick me.’
Kelly hid a smile. It didn’t matter how stressed she was, they always made her smile. ‘Jason?’
‘Miss, that man is at the door.’
Twenty-six little necks craned to get a better view of their visitor.
Kelly glanced up just as Alekos yanked open the door and strode into the room.
Mute with horror, she just stared at him, registering with numb despair the sudden increase in her pulse rate. Was this how her mother had felt about her father? Had she felt this same rush of excitement even though she knew the relationship was hopeless?
Alekos changed the atmosphere in a room, Kelly thought dizzily. His presence commanded attention.
There was a discordant scraping of chairs and desks as the children all stood up and Kelly felt a lump in her throat as she saw them looking at her for approval. When she’d first taken over the class, they’d been a disjointed rabble. Now they were a team.
‘Well done, class,’ she said huskily. ‘Lovely manners. Everyone gets two stars in their book.’ It comforted her, having them there. It gave her strength to turn and face Alekos as he strode towards her. ‘This isn’t a good time. I’m teaching.’
‘It’s a perfectly good time for me.’ His eyes clashed with hers; Kelly felt her face turn scarlet and her legs tremble violently as she remembered the passion they’d shared.
She held onto her composure for the benefit of the twenty-six pairs of watching eyes. ‘We have a visitor—what didn’t he do?’
‘He didn’t knock, Miss Jenkins.’
‘That’s right.’ Kelly conjured a bright smile, like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat. ‘He didn’t knock. He forgot his manners and he broke the rules. So he and I are just going to pop outside so that I can give him a little lesson on the behaviour we expect in our classroom, and you’re going to finish writing your poem.’
She turned to leave the room but Alekos closed his hand around her wrist, dragging her against his side as he faced the goggle-eyed children.
‘Let me teach you all a really important life lesson, children.’ His Greek accent was more pronounced than usual, his eyes dark, as he surveyed the class with the same concentration and focus that he undoubtedly brought to his own boardroom. ‘When something is important to you, you go for it. You don’t let someone walk away from you, and you don’t stand outside a door waiting for permission to enter. You just do it.’
This unusually radical approach was greeted with stunned, fascinated silence. Then several little arms shot into the air.
Alekos blinked. ‘Yes, you?’ Rising to the challenge, he pointed to a boy in the front row.
‘But what if there are rules?’
‘If they’re not sensible, then you break them,’ Alekos said immediately and Kelly gasped.
‘No! You do not break them. Rules are there to—’
‘Be questioned,’ Alekos said with arrogant assurance, his deep male voice holding the children transfixed. ‘Always you must question and ask yourself “why?” Sometimes rules must be broken for progress to be made. Sometimes people will tell you that you can’t do something. Are you going to listen?’
Twenty-six heads moved from side to side doubtfully and Kelly tugged at her wrist, trying to disengage herself so that she could take control.
A choked laugh bubbled up in her throat. Who was she kidding? She was never going to be able to gain control in the classroom again.
Alekos didn’t release her. ‘Take now, for example. I need to talk to Miss Jenkins, and she doesn’t want to listen. What am I going to do? Am I going to walk away?’
A hand shot up. ‘It depends how important it is to speak to her.’
‘It is very important.’ Alekos emphasised each word carefully as he addressed the captivated class. ‘But it’s also important to make the other person feel they are having a say in what happens, so I am willing to concede a point. I will let her choose where we have the conversation. Kelly?’ He turned to face her, his eyes glittering dark. ‘Here or outside?’
‘Outside.’ Kelly spoke through clenched teeth and Alekos smiled and turned back to the children.
‘This is an example of a successful negotiation: it should be a win-win situation. We both have something we want. And now I am going to take Miss Jenkins outside and you are going to—to write one-hundred words on why rules should always be questioned.’
‘No, they’re not!’ Kelly made a choked sound in her throat. ‘They’re going to write their poem.’
‘Fine.’ His eyes lingered on her mouth for a moment before sliding back to the enraptured class. ‘You can write a poem—about the benefit of breaking rules. It was very nice to meet you all. Work hard and you will succeed in life. Remember—it’s not where you come from that matters, it’s where you’re going.’ His hand still locked around Kelly’s wrist, he strode back out of the classroom giving her no choice but to follow him.
Outside the classroom, she leaned against the wall, shaking. ‘I can’t believe you just did that.’
‘You’re welcome,’ he drawled. ‘My going rate for motivational speaking on the international circuit is half a million dollars, but in this case I’m willing to waive my fee for the benefit of the next generation.’
Kelly’s mouth opened and shut. ‘I wasn’t thanking you!’
‘Well, you should be. Tomorrow’s entrepreneurs won’t emerge from a group of rule enslaved robots.’ Studying her face, he gave a sardonic smile. ‘Something tells me I’m not going to be given two stars in my book.’
Almost exploding with frustration, Kelly curled her hands into fists. ‘Don’t you know anything about children?’
The smile disappeared along with the mockery. Without it his face was cold, hard and handsome. ‘No.’ His voice was taut and his expression suddenly guarded. ‘Nothing. I spoke to them as adults, not children.’
‘But they’re not adults, Alekos. Do you know how much trouble we have with discipline?’ She was desperately aware of his fingers on her wrist and the sexy look in his eyes as he looked down at her. ‘When I took over that class they couldn’t even sit still on a chair for five minutes.’
‘Sitting still is an overrated pastime. Even in board meetings I often walk around. It helps me think. You should be encouraging them to question, not trying to churn out obedient clones all doing as they’re told. Why did you sell my ring?’
Kelly studiously ignored his question. ‘Without rules, society would fall apart.’
‘And without people bold enough to break rules, society would never progress,’ he purred. ‘And I’m not here to—’ Before he finished his sentence, hysterical shrieks came from along the corridor and there was the sound of feet running.
> ‘Miss Jenkins, there’s a flood! There’s water every-where!’
Alekos gave a driven sigh. ‘Where do you go for peace and quiet in this place?’
‘I can’t have peace and quiet—this is a school.’
A group of children ran towards them, Vivien close behind them.
‘Oh, Kelly.’ She looked hugely stressed and there were huge wet patches on her skirt. ‘There’s a flood in the girls’ changing rooms. Water everywhere. It’s pouring out of somewhere. Can this lot go in your room while I go to the office? We’re going to have to find a plumber, or a—’ she gave a helpless shrug ‘—I don’t know who to ring. Any ideas? The whole school is going to be under water soon; maybe I should phone for a submarine. We need someone who knows about pipes and water.’
‘I know about pipes and water.’ Clearly exasperated, Alekos inhaled deeply. ‘Where is this flood? Show me. The sooner it is solved, the sooner I can have you to myself.’
Suddenly noticing him, Vivien’s eyes widened and she looked slightly stunned.
Accustomed to that reaction from women seeing Alekos for the first time, Kelly bowed to the inevitable. ‘This is Alekos. Alekos, my friend and colleague, Vivien Mason.’
‘Alekos?’ Vivien’s eyes slid questioningly to Kelly, who gave a helpless shrug.
‘He’s the one who bought the ring.’
‘Ring?’ Vivien adopted a vacant expression which might have been convincing if it hadn’t been so exaggerated. ‘Oh, that old thing you keep in the back of your underwear drawer? I remember it—vaguely.’
Kelly’s face turned as red as a traffic light and she was horribly aware of Alekos’s interested stare.
‘Anyway, about this flood.’ Vivien glanced over her shoulder. ‘I’ll call a plumber, shall I?’
Alekos was looking at the water trickling into the corridor. ‘Unless he has super powers, your school will be under water before he arrives. Get me a tool box—something—whatever you have in this school,’ he ordered. ‘And turn off the water at the mains.’ With that, he strode along the corridor, leaving Kelly gaping after him.
‘Alekos, you can’t.’ Her eyes slid over his shockingly expensive suit and handmade shoes, and he turned his head and gave a mocking smile, reading her mind in a single glance.
‘Don’t judge a book by its cover—isn’t that what you English say? I flew straight from meetings in Athens. Just because I’m wearing a suit, doesn’t mean I can’t weld a pipe. Get me something to work with, Kelly.’
‘He can look that good and weld a pipe? Colour me bright green with envy,’ Vivien murmured faintly and Kelly gave her a shove.
‘Go and turn the water off.’
By the time the water was turned off and they’d located a rusty metal box of tools hidden in the caretaker’s cupboard, Alekos had discovered the fault.
‘The joint in this pipe has corroded.’ He’d removed his jacket and his shirt was soaked, sticking to his lean, muscled torso like another skin. ‘What’s in that box?’
‘I have no idea.’ Distracted by the sheer power of his body, Kelly struggled to open the box, staggering under the weight and Alekos frowned down at the assortment of tools.
‘Give me that one—no, the one underneath it; that’s it.’ He proceeded to remove the offending pipe and examine it closely. ‘Here is your problem.’ He ran his finger over a section of ancient pipe. ‘I doubt it’s been replaced since the school was built. Doesn’t anyone maintain this place?’
Vivien was gazing at his shoulders. ‘I don’t think our caretaker possesses your skills. And we’re a bit short of money.’
‘It doesn’t need much money, just regular maintenance. Kelly, my phone is in my back pocket—get it out.’
‘But—’
‘I have my hands rather full at the moment,’ he gritted. ‘Not to mention being soaking wet. If you could not choose this moment to argue, that would be appreciated.’
Kelly stepped through the water and slipped her hand into his pocket, feeling the hard muscle of his body burn through the wet fabric. Quickly, she closed her fingers around his phone and dragged it out, aware that he was as tense as she was. Four years ago she hadn’t been able to keep her hands off his body—and he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off hers.
It was something she’d been trying to forget ever since.
Judging from the sizzling glance he sent in her direction, he felt the same way.
Kelly gulped. ‘What do you want me to do?’
‘Speed dial.’ He gave her instructions and she did as he said, then held the phone to his ear so that he could speak. Listening to the flow of Greek, she wished she’d spent less time focusing on his body when they were together and more time honing her language skills. At very least she should have learned how to say ‘get out of my life’.
‘Do you know what he’s saying?’ Vivien hissed and Kelly shook her head just as Alekos ended the call.
‘I will have a team here in less than ten minutes.’
‘A team?’
‘I can fix this pipe for you, but I don’t have the equipment. We need a new section of pipe, the same diameter; my security team can locate what we need and have it here. It will do them good to have something useful to do instead of hovering on street corners.’ He wiped his damp forehead on his shoulder and then glanced around him in incredulity, taking in the peeling paint. ‘If this place were a ship, it would have sunk by now.’
‘It makes the Titanic look seaworthy,’ Vivien agreed fervently and Kelly rolled her eyes.
Being this close to Alekos, and in these circumstances, was the worst possible torture; she didn’t need to witness hero-worship from her closest friend. ‘Can we just get on with this? Alekos, I’m sure there’s somewhere you need to be. Now that you’ve identified the problem, we can sort it out, so you are free to go.’
‘Go? Are you mad?’ Vivien’s voice was an astonished squeak. ‘We’re never going to be able to find anyone to fix this at such short notice. He knows what he’s doing, why would you want him to go?’
‘Because Kelly is feeling uncomfortable being this close to me.’ A sardonic smile on his face, Alekos fixed his gaze on her. ‘Isn’t that right, agape mou?’
His use of that particular endearment sent the tension rocketing through her. It reminded her too clearly of intimate moments she was working hard to forget. ‘I’ve changed my mind about selling the ring. I want it to go to a good home, and you’re definitely not a good home. And, just because you can roll up your sleeves and fix a leaking pipe, don’t think I’m impressed.’
‘I’m impressed,’ Vivien said dreamily. ‘Really impressed. I thought you ran a shipping company. But you can—wow. I mean, wow.’
Alekos looked amused. ‘I do run a shipping company.’
‘But not from behind a desk, obviously.’
‘Unfortunately, it usually is from behind a desk. But I have a degree in naval architecture and marine engineering which occasionally comes in useful.’ He looked up as a woman walked into the room followed by five men carrying stacks of equipment.
‘These men say that—oh.’ The school secretary blinked in horror and Kelly formed her lips into something approaching a smile.
‘It’s all under control, Janet.’
And it was. With Alekos giving orders, the men worked as an efficient team, but what really surprised her was that he did the actual work himself. His team gave him what he asked for and, while he fixed the pipe they set about cleaning up the water and setting up drying machines.
By the time Alekos had finished, a new section of pipe had replaced the old piece that had rusted away and the cloakroom was drying.
Kelly was just trying to slink away when he closed his hand around her wrist like a vice. ‘No. No more running.’ Hauling her against him, Alekos swung her into his arms; Kelly made a choked sound and clutched at his shoulders for support.
‘Alekos! What are you doing? Put me down.’
Half-alarmed, half-laug
hing in envy, Vivien put a hand on his arm. ‘Whatever you do, don’t drop her! Gosh, if you’re that desperate you can use my classroom, if you like, it’s empty.’
‘Put me down!’ Kelly snapped, twisting in his arms. ‘I want to keep the respect of these children and I won’t be able to do that if you’re carrying me through the school like—’
‘Like a man?’ Ignoring her, Alekos said something in Greek to his team and strode out of the door. ‘You’ve put on some weight since you were nineteen.’
‘Good.’ Kelly banked down the hurt caused by that comment. ‘I hope you put your back out.’
‘It was a compliment—the extra weight appears to be distributed in all the right places, although I can’t be sure without a closer inspection.’
‘How can you say things like that when you’re involved with another woman? You’re disgusting.’
‘You’re jealous.’
‘I’m not jealous. As far as I’m concerned, your sick-eningly skinny blonde can have you.’ Kelly wriggled, but wriggling just made him hold her more firmly so she lay still, trying not to breathe in his familiar male scent—trying not to look at the dark shadow of his jaw and the impossibly long lashes. ‘Put me down right now, Alekos.’
His answer was to kiss her, and as she slipped downwards through a hazy mist of thick, swirling desire Kelly heard Vivien’s envious voice coming from somewhere in the distance.
‘Given the choice of him or four-million dollars, I’d choose him every time. Way to go, Kel.’
Chapter Three
THE sleek black Ferrari roared along the narrow roads; Kelly was glad he’d dropped her into the seat because her legs had turned to jelly. ‘I can’t believe you kissed me in front of everyone. I will never be able to look at any of them again.’
‘I thought we dealt with your inhibitions four years ago.’
‘I was not inhibited! You were just always doing really embarrassing stuff that—’